It’s been a busy offseason for the New York Jets in more ways than one. Not only is the club acclimating to a new head coach, but there are new regimes on both sides of the ball as well. Additionally, a pair of 2022 NFL Draft picks got signed to lucrative long-term extensions.
The latter set of moves is generating buzz with training camp season arriving. In a story for NFL Media, Nick Shook ranked the league’s top five “young, homegrown” duos. New York’s tandem of wide receiver Garrett Wilson and cornerback Sauce Gardner made the cut.
It’s a No. 4 ranking for the Jets’ combo, which trails the Detroit Lions (Aidan Hutchinson and Jahmyr Gibbs), Philadelphia Eagles (Jalen Hurts and Jalen Carter) and Dallas Cowboys (Micah Parsons and CeeDee Lamb).
Garrett Wilson Praised for Consistent Production Despite Environment
Shook applauds Wilson for proving that his Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign wasn’t a fluke.
“Since then, Wilson has proven himself as an elite route runner and consistent producer, appearing in every game over three seasons while clearing 1,000 receiving yards in each campaign,” Shook wrote. “He’s managed to succeed even while the Jets have cycled through quarterbacks, evolving into a selling point for prospective passers. He’ll have to adjust once again in 2025 with Justin Fields assuming the starting job, but if we’ve learned anything from Wilson’s career, it’s that he’s rather adaptable. This won’t be a first introduction, either: Wilson and Fields teamed up to produce plenty of highlights at Ohio State and will look to pick up where they left off back in 2020.”
Although Wilson isn’t a true top-flight wideout yet, he also isn’t too far off. After opening his career with three straight 1,000-yard seasons, the Jets rewarded him with a four-year, $130 million contract extension. The deal keeps him in New Jersey through 2030, which lessens the blow of his rank in average annual value among wideouts (fifth).
Regardless of quarterback, Wilson has found ways to put up numbers. That, combined with his durability, gives him immense value. The hope is he can rekindle some of the chemistry he previously established with Fields in college. If he does, he’ll deliver another great effort in 2025-26.
Even After Off Year, Sauce Gardner Remains a Promising Defensive Piece
The case for Gardner is different. He’s experienced higher highs, being one of the two or three best cornerbacks in football earlier in his career. After consecutive Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro nods, however, his good fortune ran out last season. Gardner’s play regressed by just about every count imaginable.
Shook acknowledges that the downtick in production could prove some folks right. At the same time, it’d be foolish to write the 24-year-old off already.
“A down 2024 suggested Gardner’s detractors might have a point,” Shook wrote. “That didn’t stop the Jets from locking up Gardner, of course, and if they’re pressed to justify his lavish extension, they can point to the fact that Gardner is the only defensive back to earn first-team All-Pro honors in each of his first two seasons since 1970. Not to mention, he owns the highest Pro Football Focus coverage grade of any corner since his rookie season of 2022. One down year doesn’t spoil that, at least not in the Jets’ eyes.”
The Jets are banking on Gardner’s track record pre-2024. He’s now the NFL’s highest-paid corner at an average of $30.1M over the four years of his deal. Like Wilson, Gardner will see his extension kick in after year No. 4 and the fifth-year option years hit. It’s a record-setting gamble on someone who led the sport with 20 passes broken up in 2022.
Thanks to an excellent draft haul a few years ago, the future remains interesting for the Jets.
